Unforseen Allies
by Garfsan
Summary: A tank loses a close friend and tries to annilhate his foe but finds another has the same wish and wants to see both their foes dead. The team form an unexpected friendship and tackle their foe.
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1 **_

_Spike scratched his head, slowly running his massive club like hands in the short buzzed hair he had now gained since his change. Almost four weeks ago he was a scrawny, twenty-two year old mildly intelligent graduate of a top US University with a bright future ahead of him. Now he was a seven feet tall hulk of hard as steel muscles with slab like skin. He sighed as he felt a trickle of rain slide down his cheeks and bounce off his forehead. He was stood stock still as he took in the new dark and dreary world, on all fours like some kind of animal. _

_He made his way forward across the highway, which was a veritable graveyard of empty cars, carcasses of the dead infected and humans and many many signs of battle, loss and death. He took it all in solemnly as he looked up at the Grey sky and saw the dark clouds roll over slowly overhead a spark of lightning arcing and dancing across them as they gently drifted across the abyss that was the heavens that poured down on Spike._

_He walked on slowly, taking in the road again, the memories of the cars and trucks filling his mind as the maniacal rages he went on occasionally when he saw survivors or some other infected made him sigh deeply, sorrow lining his furrowed, chiselled brow. He hacked gently, as another infected slammed on the ground next to him. He was classed as a "Smoker" by the humans that attacked his kin mercilessly. Spike had dubbed him "Sunny" as this Smoker was different like Spike, for he could communicate with the other more "Gifted" infected as Spike preferred to call them. "Special" seemed like too much of a racist term for him to stomach and after all, why be racist to your own kind?_

_"Which reminds me." He growled as he puffed, taking a drag on the thick brown cigar and letting out a plume of the silvery white smoke that usually accompanies Cubans, running a tumour spattered hand through his long greasy white hair "You found some food yet? I'm bloody starving sunshine." He cracked a smile and slapped Spike on the back._

_Spike simply shook his head in response, sighing deeply as he eyed him from the corner of his vision let out an upset sigh himself and a look of sorrow at his basic animal like reaction. He could tell Sunny would want a conversation, as his uniform suggested he was some sort of College Professor, with a Large "U" on his blazer jacket pocket. "Well" he stated "When you feel like speaking son, do so OK?"_

_He had met Sunny near the start of the infection, when they were both still human. Spike had changed first then Sunny, back when he could remember his name was Stuart. They had decided to team up, hoping to adapt to their new abilities and drawbacks. He smiled at the first time he realized he could tear chunks out of the concrete, hearing Sunny's accent spouting "BLADDY HELL!"_

_Spike could make out that the Smoker was British by his accent. As he too like him could speak to others, and a lot of his original human intelligence remained and gave him an edge in combat against the humans, unlike the other "Tanks" that just charged forward and tried to throw as much large objects as they can, he used strategy and finesse where he could. Well as much finesse as a one and half tonne hulk could with fists the size of tires attached to his wrists._

_"Well big fella? You feel like talking?" he grunted as he hung his head in response stepping forwards to keep up with Spike's long strides. He felt a hand rest on his massive gravelly shoulder as he glanced and saw a smile that covered the left side of his tumoured face. Spike moving left small craters in the asphalt and broke the suspension on a Sedan as he clambered over it, the glass shattering and setting off a shrill and high pitched alarm that Spike cursed under his breath when it reached his ears, quickly stepping back off it and crouching behind the car._

_"Well nice going sunshine!" he spat as he stubbed out the cigar on his jeans, sliding it into his pocket and began to run for cover behind an overturned semi to their right. "You gotta lose some weight son!" He cracked as Spike felt a smile happen._

_Spike grunted, crouched down next to the car and lifted it off the ground, balanced it on his head as the infected common horde thundered on his positions with the force of an angry stampede. He sighed and stood up straight and hefted the car back and then hurled it in the direction of the other side of the bridge, as the horde skidded and did a sharp 180 to chase after the crushed metal hulk of the car._

_Gunfire echoed throughout the bridge as it came to life, screams, shouts and taunts flooded his ears from this far as he saw Sunny pop his head around the semi and let out a hacking cough. Someone was coming this way and Sunny was about to strike. _

_"Hehehe" he let out a deep, raspy laugh and got ready to strike as Spike saw a young man sprinting away from the large group of infected that were chasing him, firing his assault shotgun at the hip as he back-pedalled frantically trying to get away from the massacre of the others at the other side of the bridge. One infected knocked the weapon from his hands as he levelled it at another, causing him to grab the metal bat from his back and remove his skull contents from their resting place in his head, knocking it back in an impressive cartwheel._

_He scrambled onwards, skidding into a stop as he slammed into Spike as he stepped in front of him, the young man froze and before he could raise his bat to strike and yell that customary "TANK!" emote he simply grabbed the young mans arm and lifted him off the ground. He felt a snap and was sure it was the bat, but he couldn't be sure as the kids expression was that of pain and horror at the same time, tears welling up at the corners of his eyes._

_"Nice son" Sunny coughed as he come across from behind the semi "Nice catch there. He looks like he could keep me going for a while." Spike glanced at Sunny lick his lips with his long tongue like appendage and then rub his hands together after lighting his cigar again. A sick grin spread across his lips as he clapped his hands together again and put his hand on the youths jaw, taking in his young handsome features. Breathing a plume of smoke across his face._

_"What you gonna do to me..?" the youth was terrified as Spike held him five feet off the ground, he could smell fear sweat and piss, and he was pretty sure he had shit himself. "Please..don't kill me..." _

_"Kill you?" Sunny laughed as he hacked another deep long cough. "Sunshine I'm going to eat you. I'm bloody starving and haven't had a good meal in days..." he saw the kids eyes widen, and steam filled the air at his crotch as he whimpered and began crying. He then began to shake uncontrollably. Spike would have smiled if he had a lower jaw still, instead he simply raised his eyebrows. He always liked how Sunny would tease the survivors before giving them a quick painless death, as other things that some "Infected" got up to made even his massive frame shudder._

_Spike shook his head, and eyed up the fire fight that was raging on the other side of the bridge, and he could hear the rather distinctive cries of a "Hunter" "Charger" and the grotesque gurgling of a "Boomer". Spike sighed and put the youth down, he slipped and fell back to his knees, almost begging Spike not to kill him, whimpering rather pathetically as he pushed past him and made his way forwards. _

_"Wait...you can speak..." the youth whispered as he looked at Sunny, his eyes widened and then he began to crawl backwards on his hands, dragging his feet as he left a trail moving away from Sunny. Still sobbing, Spike looked at him, he was pathetic and wasn't worth their time. He wanted a bigger challenge and started for the other side of the bridge where gunfire still punctuated the eerie rain filled night._

_"Your not gonna kill me?" He asked again, clearing his throat as he slammed up against a Sedan "Why wont you kill me? I thought that's what you freaks did?"_

_"Fuck you kid" Sunny walked over, knelt down, shot out his tongue around the youths neck and in a mighty show of strength lifted him off the ground, another showing of one of his unique talents. His tongue could not be broken, and had the strength to lift most humans like a prehensile tail._

_"Sweet dreams" _

_Spike grunted as the youths neck snapping hit ears just as an explosion broke the silence and shattered the almost tense moment. He stepped forwards, seeing the form of a Charger get cut down by a large hail of gunfire as the boomer exploded showering the survivors with the sweet smelling bile but also meant he lost a comrade._

_He saw a young female hunter, one of the few that weren't other Mutated bitches get decapitated by a muscular man with tattoos and a shaved head as he lit a cigarette, nonchalantly killing more infected with his machete. His muscular bare arms lined with tattoos. Running down them from the top of his shoulders were dragons and hellish looking tribal marks that ended in dust at his elbows. Said Japanese dragons bore swords and spears fighting the tribal darkness that enveloped them. He smiled and turned to face his small group of five. Spike could tell he would be no easy kill, as he seemed to give off assertiveness, cockiness and a heavy sense of respect emanated from the others towards him._

_"Shits getting hot sunshine." Sunny coughed as he walked up next to Spike and patted him on the back, then moved off into a staggered run and headed onwards to the support struts of the large highway. "We got assholes to kill boy!" He deftly climbed them and sprinted along the support struts towards a good hiding spot._

_Spike felt an adrenaline rush wash through him, his muscles tightened as he cracked his knuckles and if he had lower jaw he knew he'd be smiling right now. Resting his huge fists back on the concrete he made his way along the side Sunny had, hoping to stay out of sight for as long as he could._

_Tonight he'd have that guys head on a stick._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

_Spike slowly made his way along the bridge, hoping beyond all hope that he could avoid contact with the humans for as long as he could so he could get a sneak attack in and maybe kill the big guy to demoralize the group. He could see as he got closer, that this was no normal man. He exhumed this aura of respect, power and calm at the same time. To look at him was to fall in awe of just how charismatic is appeared to be. Spike had lost all sense of judgement of humans a while ago now, before he had turned even. _

_He was 6'2", about two hundred pounds of lean, toned and taut muscle. He had handsome and chiselled features and a set of blue eyes that belied a deeper man with a conscious and led Spike to believe that he had been through a lot in his life. He could read people when he was human and now was no different. His armour was thick and heavy, his arms bare with a simple pair of leather gloves, black combats, knee pads and his equipment. He looked tough but Spike had killed bigger men than him._

_Sunny skipped gracefully along the top of the bridge that separated the two towns of Paradise Hovel and Cinder. He never knew why it was called Cinder but didn't care either. Hovel was a shit hole, run by cartels and drug dealers, Cinder was bullied by the mega corporations who bought out the police and the armed forces. _

_He deftly rolled to a crouch behind one of the support beams, well hidden as Spike saw him muffle a cough, Smokers were not used to stealth as their new bodies made them hack and cough almost constantly but Sunny had managed to counteract this. He peered around his hiding place and waited for Spike to strike._

_He was hiding behind somehow, a large truck. The truck if struck right would incapacitate all of them with a well timed and place smash. He could see the leader ready a large weapon with cylindrical ammo feed, and place some big shells into it. Another leader by what Spike could see stood forward, she was female. Tall, stunning and beautiful with hardened yet delicate features with deep grey ash like eyes she seemed to be with the other man by the way they talked to each other._

_Spike grunted, and one of the others turned his way, his natural tank instinct would normally have him shot up by now, the normal "lesser tanks" as he put it would have charged and hurled the car by now._

"_Gonna check that noise out boss!" he whispered "I don't like that sound...sounds like a damn tank..." the group moved closer together. Just like Spike wanted and walked slowly towards him with their weapons raised. _

_There was a screech as a female hunter slammed down into the lead man of the small now six man team and Spike could hear his neck and spine shatter as she slammed down from what must have been a massive height as he was killed instantly as she then leaped onto the next in a swift violent dance of death striking out at one of the others, severing his fingers, blood spraying across the asphalt and his face as he gripped the mangled hand and screamed in agony. _

_The female stepped forward with her blades drawn, and swung at the female hunter, taking a chunk out of her dank white hoodie, it staining a crimson red as Spike saw the tongue of Sunny spit out from him and latch onto one of the other survivors neck, twisting violently and rupturing his windpipe, his eyes rolling back in his head almost instantly. Almost instantly his tongue was released and Sunny had vanished, a simple cloud of smoke all that was left of where he could have been._

_There was five left now. Spike knew he had to make an entrance and help out his infected friend, he knew her and she meant a lot to Sunny. And that meant she meant a lot to him._

_Heaving the pick-up truck over his head he tossed it straight at the female leader. She somehow dived right out of the way at the last second, along with the female hunter speeding off at a sprint and diving off to recover._

_Spike was left gunning it solo. The truck crashed into the other side of the bridge, dust and debris spattered everywhere as a cloud of cracked cement slowly spread across the scene. The rain continued to fall on the earth, with the massive form of Spike dwarfing the smaller humans, they looked tense but not scared. Maybe it was something they got drilled into them by their leader. Spike knew that's what he would do._

_Lightning sparked across the sky and shattered into the earth two hundred feet away. The signal for Spike to charge forward, as it illuminated his hardened face. _

_As soon as he did, the leader fired his weapon, a "plumph" sound followed by a rocking explosion which caught Spike straight in the chest, sending a searing pain down his torso. Staggering back, he lashed out for the nearest of the humans, grabbing him by the waist, gripped him tightly and brought him into the air and slammed him down back again. His legs buckled and broke against the asphalt as he screamed in agony, he slammed him down again and his legs simply turned to mush. Spike was much stronger than a normal tank. _

_He grappled the mans neck with his other hand, and with a delicate twist snapped his head off his shoulders as it erupted into a crimson fountain. Dropping him to the floor like a rag doll, slumping into a bloody heap, he felt another two blast score hits in his spine. He had somehow been flanked by the guy with the strange weapon and the others had retreated to a safe distance. They opened fire on him as their weapons bit into his skin, leaving pin pricks of red that then showered empty brass on the ground as they proved useless._

_He saw one be sneak attacked by Sunny, another trademark neck snap, which killed him instantly. There were now three of them, one shaky and the others stood solid ready to fight to the death. He was worried about the wounds to his back and chest, they bled profusely and he couldn't take the strange feeling of dread as something began eating as his skin. _

"_Fall back!" he shouted as the woman tossed a cylindrical object on the ground. Seconds later it exploded in a searing white flash and a deafening report. Spike stumbled backwards as another three rounds smashed against his hide and tore at his skin again. He was blind and could only just make out their footsteps heading away. An engine.. then a voice.._

_He got his vision back a few moments later but they were long gone._

_Spike collapsed to one knee as he saw Sunny drop to the ground next to him, his face showing worry. Spike's wounds were grave, the skin was melting and corroding away as he spoke, red flesh and exposed muscle stang as the rain mixed with blood and his insides. His back was a veritable Swiss cheese field, many many holes full of red gashes and blood seeping from the injuries. He was breathing heavy and the sting of the worried him. _

_Spike felt a searing pain wash over him as Sunny stamped ahead to him, the rain coming down in sheets as he slowly crouched down next to him._

"_Son!" he exclaimed "Son you OK?!"_

"_Mrrgmmnnn..." Spike grunted as he felt his face hit the concrete, the world fading to a dull white haze._


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

_Pain. Sheer ungodly pain that he could not fathom a man or beast or whatever the world saw him as now could feel. He was supposed to be the big guy! The goddamn heavy! THE muscle bound monster that could not be stopped by anything._

_Instead he lay face down, in a puddle of his own bodily fluids, his very life force seeming to ebb away from him. He managed to open an eye, and could see a large snaked trail of his dark crimson earth blood swim away into a stream that mixed with the still flowing rain as thunder danced across the heavens, spiked by lightning punctuating the earth several dozen feet away._

_Spike was pissed. Simple as. It would take a while for these wounds to heal but he knew they would be fine. Plus he would have some impressive scars for the ladies, he smiled as he slowly tried to haunch himself up to stop face-planting the concrete. He grunted as the concrete cracked and no it was his back that cracked._

"_Shnmmut" he mouthed, words intelligible due to the severe lack of lower jaw issue. He was angry he had finally found someone he could actually talk to, and then bam! Soon after his jaw was removed from his face by an angry army soldier, Spike promptly removed his spine and head and showed it to his comrades, muffling obscenities as he did so as he used it to beat them to death._

_He sighed a happy sigh, thinking what a great day that turned out to be, sure he lost the ability to speak, and his jaw which ruined his once handsome profile. But that day he met back up with Sunny and his Hunter female friend Zhay. She was a specimen all right._

_He groaned as he heard a whimper nearby, someone or something was close. He tried to move but his massive frame wasn't helping anybody and he hated how he felt like a beached whale as the world just went on by. If that asshole came back he'd be a dead man, infected..tank thing._

_Thankfully, it was a fellow infected. But he then heard the hyper chirps and squeals of a Jockey. The bottom class of the infected as most of them seemed to dub them. Small, rodent like and with a horrid attention span they simply "rode" their foes to a certain doom or into other obstacles. They had their uses sure. He had seen many separate a group of survivors while a boomer attack and a well aimed pounce followed by a charger snapping some spines with their ridiculous pounding and punches. He chuckled out loud at the days when he would just obliterate the survivors while the others just watched in awe._

"_D-d-d-d-d-d-eead?" a voice, hyper in tone but with an undertone of unease and sorrow mixed together in a rapid assault on the eardrums._

"_Y-y-y-y-youuu neeeedd hayulp?" he squawked again "I heyulp!" _

_Spike hated he couldn't answer, and how he couldn't also stand up and punt him off the bridge. Jockeys had a good time when landing from large falls and Spike particularly loved drop kicking them off rooftops. Hell he loved simply hitting stuff full stop._

_He heard the tiny patter of his erratic feet as he chirped, laughed and gargled oddly with an odd burp thrown in for good measure. He could hear him moving away, and then angry grunts and pain as someone whelped as he could then make out someone struggling._

_An infected staggered in front of Spike. He then fell to the floor, limp and obviously dead his eyes gouged out and bruises all over his face. The Jockey had ridden him to Spike, but killed him in the process trying to help._

_He looked at the now eyeless infected, he looked sad and angry at the same time. His dusty flight suit and greying skin made Spike glad he was different to the common flock of this horde._

_The Jockey made his way around Spike again, and started to push and shove him in a futile attempt to get him on his feet. He grunted, squealed and shouted obscenities at the top of his little lungs and somehow, Spike felt himself be picked up and shoved upright. _

_He saw the Jockey bounce up and down, happy and jubilant and Spike got a good look at him, now that he was sitting up straight, and somehow leaning on a car he could rest properly and maybe take in the beautiful night sky that had now cleared up. He could see it was coming close to early morning and he sighed, his cold breathe leaving a small steamy cloud that drifted away with the soft breeze that flowed through the bridge._

_The Jockey walked around to the front of Spike, he was about two and a half feet tall, hunched over of course like all the other little rats. He was wearing the tattered remains of a white suit, with a blue under-shirt and oddly, a gas mask with red lenses which seemed to glow in the night and a baseball cap turned backwards atop his head. Why on earth he was wearing it was a mystery to him, but he didn't really care. He wanted to know how he somehow lifted Spike off his back._

_He hiccuped and let out a large belch, staggering drunkenly he whistled loudly twice as if calling someone and ran around on the spot. Almost as if he was chasing some one, or something or his own tail if he had one. His little bare feet were going back and forth like jet engines as he garbled and cackled crazily to catch this invisible being._

_In a snap he grasped something, it was a fly. He lifted up his mask, and putting it in his oddly normal white teeth he chewed it down ravenously and belched again, loosening a maniacal cackle that made Spike raise an eyebrow. He simply muffled a laugh and reached out to pat the little creature but his strength was faded and anything except breathing and sitting on his ass would be the only thing he could do._

_It was gonna be a long day, and he knew something bad was gonna happen. _

"_Friend....fwend...Deaded.." his voice hit Spike like a tonne of bricks, well if that would hurt him. He looked again at the Jockey, who hung his head, his small arms held out in front of him limp as he looked like he had just lost his favourite toy. _

"_T-t-t-t-tall man...deaded..." Spike felt something sink inside him, and a speck of rain bounced off his head, and ran down the back of his neck sending shivers down his spine. He wasn't sure what he meant, but he didn't like what he thought it was. _

_He managed to glance where the oddly quiet Jockey was pointing with one sad faced hand. _

_Lying down in a fractured pool of his own blood, Sunny lay disembowelled, his form still and his eyes empty of any life. _

"_Sowwie...." _


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

_Spike couldn't believe his eyes. Sunny was laying down dead on the floor not twenty feet away, the life drained out of him. His greying intestines entwined with the roads surface like spaghetti. He felt something snap inside him, some horrible and blinding rage began to swell and rocket to the surface._

"_Smo-smo-smoker man...Sunn—sunni help me to spak" the jockey muffled under a closed hand rested on his face as he curled up into a ball;_

"_He hayulp me...hayulp me to speak.." he sniffed again and pulled the mask over his face, his cries now muffled and raspy through the mask. "He give meh..give meh dis massske" he patted his face to signify what he was talking about, even though Spike knew full well what he was talking about, he still smiled inside as the tiny man explained himself with an exuberant enthusiasm underlined with a pang of sorrow Spike could just make out over losing his teacher._

"_Me..miss...me miss tall smokey man.." Spike sighed, he couldn't move, his muscles were fried and the engine was on fumes at best. He grunted loudly as the rain carried on slamming down, the salt from the skies stinging his closing wounds._

"_NO!" he looked at the Jockey. "ME hayulp big man.." he scampered to his feet, and pulling a flask from the back of his person that Spike assumed was clipped to his belt, unscrewed the top and took a large swig from it._

"_Whisk-hic-ey!" he spoke in a high pitched rasp, his small metabolism obviously not tailored to the strong beverage. "Whish-key" he slurred again. Spike found it oddly amusing, and felt himself smile even though all you could have seen was the small remnants of his upper lips and his facial muscles wrinkle up. He looked at the Jockey take another swig and then put the cap back on, pocketing it and then doing a speedy back flip, chirping happily._

_He did one more before managed to knock himself out on the concrete, a massive yelp screeching from his person as he seemed to be unglazed by the blow. Most likely due to being drunk or the hardened military gas-mask. He stood up after a while, smiled with a bloody nose and then pulled the mask over his face. And then he simply set off on a run away from where Spike could see him, his minute steps echoing through the empty road._

_Alone again. Spike was alone once more. He had grown oddly fond of the Jockey's crazy shenanigans and wished he could return even though right now he would probably be killed by now for diving on a man's head right away or missing and going off the side of the bridge. He could still hear the remnants of a small group of survivors scattering around somewhere and honestly wondered what they would do if they found him. He decided to rest his eyes and heal until he could move under his own steam again. He did not want to be killed when he had revenge to carry out. As well he really wanted to punt that Jockey off the bridge._

_He felt some time pass by, his body didn't ache so much and he still couldn't really move. His arms weren't so heavy any more, and the stinging searing agony had dulled to a groaning ache. He had tried to move a few times but to no avail, his wounds were still too severe._

"_NO!" he heard a female voice erupt from nowhere "NO! NO NO SUNNY!!" he could hear the panic and the desperation in her voice as she moved closer. Spike tried to open his eyes but, all he could do was turn his head in that general direction, and try to hope he could open them._

"_You led me here for this?" he felt a thump, heard a whelp, and then a another solid impact noise followed by another timid cry. "WHY!?" _

_He could make out that the infected there was Zhay, she was obviously distraught and in pain. He hoped her shoulder had healed and was able to fight again with that stronger pair of humans about. Spike once again tried to open his eyes._

_A sound of sobbing made them shoot open. He had heard that sad sorrowful sound before and hoped he would never have to hear it again._

_Her holding Sunni in her arms, his lifeless form splayed out limp made something knot up in Spike. She sobbed deeply and her tears could be felt from where he was sitting still propped up against the car. He tried to speak, but he couldn't, his lack of lower jaw only allowed groans and grunts and this angered him. He couldn't tell her how sorry he was, how he wanted to let her know he was there for her, to support her and look after her. All he could do was lie there like a fucking useless doll while his only friend lay dead in his lovers arms._

_Spike boiled with rage, his eyes stang from the rain and he felt cold. His skin tore as he pulled away from the car he was stuck to and had began healing on somehow. He grunted and roared as he saw Zhay look up and her face meet his._

_She had retained her human looks mostly, her eyes a milky pure white rather than missing like most hunters. Her delicate youthful face had fine scars on it as Spike was sure he did too, a light, shoulder length dirty brown hair, tied back lining her face. She was about half his height and wore a now stained and muggy white hooded top, brown combats and a pair of black trainers. Her hands seemed more wicked than other hunters and he had seen them kill first hand. Smartly, she had bandaged up her wounded shoulder and now sported an armoured vest. A Molotov hung from her waist, in a makeshift holster a survivor had fashioned._

_Spike somehow managed to lift himself to his feet, his muscles burned and roared tearing as he felt like he had never moved in his life. He was shaky and would not get very far but he knew he would need to get out of the open, a tank was a tank and he knew they would shoot a moving one until it stopped doing so. Even if he did look like Swiss cheese._

_He took in the bridge, there were several cars scattered about, battle scars, bullet casings and a few semi's overturned. It seemed to stretch on for an age as it disappeared onto Cinder, he didn't fancy going there in his state. Many many humans still were alive there and were largely untouched. He felt blood dribble on the ground and limped onwards. _

_Sighing he struggled to make his way to the edge of the bridge, that would lead to a set of maintenance tunnels where he could go to rest. The survivors generally didn't go in completely dark places for fear of being killed by unseen enemies as they were packed with infected and others like himself._

_The rain bit into him, and with each tentative step he slowly made his way to the edge of the bridge, each sluggish and steady stride much more difficult than the last. Like the turtle, slow and steady he advanced, stopping only for a brief moment to look at Zhay. She was holding Sunny in her arms, his face finally looking as if it was at peace, a single tear ran down his cheek. She sobbed watching him with sorrow in her eyes, fear on her lips and anger in her heart. Zhay wanted revenge and Spike would help her get it._

_Taking a first step off the concrete to the small dirt path that would lead to the underpass, he felt a small hand rest on his shoulder, it was Zhay. She did her best to support him, taking in the size difference to account and move him on. Spike smelt burning, and glanced back to see Sunny alight in a fiery orange blaze, his body slowly being consumed by the roaring inferno. Zhay obviously used that survivors Molotov. He nodded to Zhay in thanks and let out a very unenergized breath, the cold again taking it along in the breeze as the pair stepped down the muddy path, along the dirt trail to a large double door nestled in the concrete behemoth that was the Cinder bridge._

_The underpass was as he always remember it as he stepped into it. Cold, dark and full of old barrels that hobo's used to warm themselves up, which Zhay went and lit one near a corner of the spacious room. He could tell said hobo's were long gone and he chuckled to himself what they must have thought If he came and sat down next to one, grinning and wishing he could say:_

"_Ello' 'guvnor" as Sunny often did. _

_Each room was danker and grimmer than the last but Spike wanted a place to dry off and sleep. His wounds on his side and stomach were healing well, but the now reopened wounds on his back were stinging like a mother. Slowly he closed his eyes for a moment and let out another lamented sigh. He would miss Sunny, and wished he was finally happy in whatever afterlife he was currently in. He raised a fist to the sky out of respect, as Zhay struggled to keep him upright for the brief second he did so. She followed it by doing the same._

_He stumbled and fell to his knees, then sitting up straight as Zhay did her best to make the move to the floor as easy as she could. He panted heavily, the small trip having taken all his energy from him. Like a faithful puppy, the Jockey had followed them, and had several red Medkit bags with him, all somehow balanced in his tiny arms he looked like a clown his minute legs buckling as he threw them down on the ground next to him. Spike found himself smiling that the small rodent could be so resourceful. He pulled something out of his trousers, something that looked like a small bottle of something._

"_PEELZ!" he chirped "PEELZ HERE!" he repeated that for around two minutes, which felt more like ten, or fifteen, or an hour.. Spike wasn't sure._

_He saw Zhay laughing, her face alight from the small flickering embers of the barrel as they cast shadows around the room, the trio bathed in an orange light. The small jockey ran around the room saying his new found phrase with much glee until he tripped and stumbled on his ass. He lay staring at the ceiling, his hands down by his sides. _

_One arm shot up:_

"_PEELZPEELZPEELZPEELZPEELZ HERE!" _

_Spike was gonna drop kick him off the tallest building he could find..._

_...as soon as he could feel his legs..._


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

"_So you like feeling like a hot ass piece of shit my friend? Like feeling like a dumb ass slow motherfucker?" there was a deep gravely voice in the room with him, it sent shivers down his spine to hear those icy words. "Just because you have muscles like goddamn freaks from comic books, the ability to shrug off wounds and throw your strength around like your some kind of god doesn't give you the right to fucking kill people!"_

_Spike was suddenly awake, he could hear this voice, this menacing undertone laced with poisonous and spiteful words. Someone had sneaked his way inside to his hovel, his safe room and started what could be his final speech before he fires the final round that kills Spike._

"_My lifelong friend turned into one of you freaks... after some fucking government worked their stupid ways and ruined his life..I lost my brother to another one of you. He derailed a train." Spike could hear heavy angered breathing, and the sound of someone's fists grinding from being clenched "and you expect me to be lenient? Expect me to just let you live and heal? Let you fucking kill again!" a noise of something being taken from its holster split the brief silence._

_The room was pitch black, the embers from the barrels had burnt out, a cold sensation emanating from the source of the voice, almost as if a black encroaching darkness enveloped the room and attempted to swallow everything and burn the rest. This malefic echo, sadistic, painful and sorrow lined voice taking a personal approach to solving his problem. Spike felt himself swallow hard, even though almost physically impossible he still did so._

"_So Mr big man." there was a pause as the voice carried on "Let me tell you a story. Let me tell you how I dealt with this..this calamity I'm in"_

_Spike wanted to tell him to shut the fuck up, to just stop and then end his existence. However he didn't know if he could move. Or even if he could how far he could go. He felt worry for the first time since he changed._

"_I was twenty two. I met the most amazing girl I have ever known. She loved me, I loved her. I went off to join the army, not realising that one night of passion on our wedding day changed our life forever" there was a pause as a light sparked up, a small glow of a cigarette being lit, the orange glow showing a very angry and twisted expression as Spike saw the smoke exhale deeply;_

"_She was pregnant. My time with the Army led me to feel massively apart from her. I burned everyday to see her again. At first, it was like I was just away on a business trip. I got mail every time the mail was sent. Pictures of her along the pregnancy, pictures of her smiling and the old ones I couldn't take with me due to time constraints packing. Even pictures of her holding Rookie, my pup at the time..both with those big cute eyes..." the embers lit again as Spike saw a trickle of ash hit the floor._

"_I was content, happy with the scene. Fighting for my country, and to protect her. I got leave soon before she was due to have the baby but something happened...with my unit..I was left bleeding..left to die in the middle of some godforsaken hell-hole called Russia as my friends simply just left me to die...prone bleeding out in the middle of a field in the wastes..."_

_Spike took in this tale, and wondered why he was simply telling him all this, why he stopped in his vengeance to kill Spike. After all he seemed to hate the Tank strain of infected with a burning passion. What fuelled him not to simply pull the trigger?_

"_Well..." there was another amber glow as he dragged on his cigarette "..I was rescued..simply and then found my way back to NATO camp. I was stitched back together and then realised eight months had passed. Somehow I had been in a coma for six and the other three in a medicated stupor cooked up to make me forget something I saw in those wastes...something bad that would incriminate the US government. Yeah boy, I'm a Brit and damn proud of it."_

_The cigarette hit the floor, and then was stamped out, _

"_I saw shit you wont believe, and also I saw shit that you would think would never exist. I saw how you assholes were engineered, how you were made into monsters to serve as cheap shock troops to soften up a foe. Yeah your a weapon son. Why do you think you can take so much flak? Luck? Sheer balls? No sunshine your a goddamn weapon made by a greedy government ready to throw away its morals to line its pockets."_

_Spike sank. Simply he stopped being worried and then slowly felt something sink in his chest, some horrid feeling washed over him. He was some sort of freak made by his own Government to what? Win wars? _

"_I hate you. But I also understand what it must be like to be a monster. I am too. Even though I'm simply a guy who serves his country..." he heard the man sigh as Spike placed a shaking hand over his face. _

"_Heal. Get better. Then we'll fight to the death to see who the better freak is" he heard him walk away._

"_Then maybe I will tell you what happened with my wife as well...hell...maybe I could now. Us freaks gotta stick together." Spike heard a door shut, then a panicked voice hit his ears. It was Zhay._

"_What happened? Who was that?" she was holding a lamp, it illuminated the room in a soft amber glow, the shadow of her cast across the wall behind her, her eyes stuck out in the darkness and she looked like she had been crying. Her white hoodie stained with blood and gore, hands still dripping Spike simply closed his eyes for a moment. He wished he could tell her, but he missed the ability to speak._

_He missed being able to talk, to let his feelings out to someone who cared, someone who would take two minutes to hear him say something he'd always want to say. To stop and help him through a bad time, to simply sit their and hear him out._

_He hated what he had become, and wished with his heart he had never become a monster._

_A light bloomed from the barrels as the Jockey lit them aflame with materials and debris, the small warmth washed over him. He tossed some boxes in, and pretty sure someone's arm. He hopped happily but his eyes changed when he saw Spike haunched up against the wall, bandaged up and heavily set on not trying to get up again, sat, depressed a shell of his former mighty self. He didn't see a reason. And couldn't seem to want to._

_He watched as the Jockey walked up to him sheepishly, his head curled up low, hands tucked away and his footsteps barely audible to Spike. He stood up slowly, his hands quivering._

_He put a small fist to Spike, and smiled, his big toothy grin across his face. _

_Spike smiled, and bumped it back. _


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

_Spike had let himself heal for a day, making sure not to lean against the dank dark wall of the underpass to make sure he wouldn't heal on the wall again. Pulling himself off the car was bad enough, this smelly piss soaked room wouldn't be much fun either._

_He had kept himself busy, mainly by sleeping, and then taking small walks around the room, his strength a mere slither of the monumental capacity he once had. Also this was the first time he had almost been killed simply by a few men essentially. Admittedly, they were no simple "men" as they were lead by two solid and capable people that didn't seem phased that a tank had come out of nowhere, butchered their friends and then attacked them. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes._

"_**Heal. Get better. Then we'll fight to the death to see who the better freak is" **_

_He ran that line through his mind many times, and the brief glimpse of the man he got in the darkness flashed across his vision every time he went to sleep or closed his eyes for a brief second to think, breathe deeply or simply wince in pain. _

_Spike shuddered when he replayed the scene in his mind and how he could have so easily killed him where he lay, crippled against the wall but he didn't. And also he knew that it would have been simple enough for him to kill both Zhay and the jockey without breaking a sweat. He swallowed hard, the hairs on the back of his neck rose up. _

_He looked down at his massive blistered bloody hands. _

_They were shaking._

_He was either scared or excited at the prospect of meeting him again. But he knew the next time they did one of them would die._

"_PEEELLLLZZZ!" The Jockey's shrill voice split the tense silence as Spike glanced around the room looking for him, he was running around the barrel, which slowly burnt its life out and the light cast slow moving amber shadows around the room which gave it a sombre and soft undertone. He took a deep breath and picked up the empty bottle of water he had been drinking from._

"_Doi!" The Jockey yelped as the bottle careened into the side of its head as it then crashed into the side of his skull, sending his scrambling into the stash of boxes which contained many random bits of junk that he had scavenged. _

_Newspapers, t-shirts, magazines and empty cans of soda, bottles and other random junk scattered across the floor as he yelped and whined, scuttering around to try and put them back in some sort of order. Spike noticed that he was now wearing a small pendant around his neck, it swung about and glinted in the dim room._

"_He said he was a Librarian when he was alive" Spike heard Zhay laugh, as she walked back in the room smiling watching him as she stood relaxed, hands on her hips. _

"_Can't believe that someone like him was one though huh?" she chuckled again and walked over to where Spike sat, crouched down letting out a loose growl as she handed Spike some more water._

_Spike smiled as he saw just how much of her human beauty she had retained, her hood down, her long hair loose around her shoulders the ambiance giving her an almost alien glow in the light._

_She was looking at the Jockey, smiling with her eyes half closed, a look of compassion and understanding on her features as he scuttled about the room, focusing on clearing up the mess as well as still saying "Peelz" occasionally._

_Spike put up a hand and rested it on Zhay's shoulder, his eyes showing what his voice could not. She looked back at him, smiling and put her tiny hand compared to his on his wrist._

"_I'm Okay Spike.." she sighed a tear trickled down from the corner of her eye "I got you and Mr Pharmacist over there.." she grinned sarcastically at the last line then trailing off. _

_Spike put his hand against her face, a normal man would be cupping her cheek, alas he was cupping her head. _

"_Thanks Spike." she smiled and moved up and hugged him, purring slightly as she did her best to grip as much of him as she could, squeezing him tight._

_Spike felt happy, safe and hopeful as he rested his arm around her, completely surrounding her in his massive frame. After a few minutes he felt the Jockey scamper up his back and sit on his head, giggled as he ruffled Spikes hair.._

_...then it farted loudly_

_In the next second he hit the top of the adjacent wall with a shrill yelp, Spike launching him into it. He slid slowly down it like a cartoon character as he hit the ground and slowly fell backwards, his eyes wide open and his mouth slack as he gargled something and then his limbs fell limp. _

"_There was no need for that..." Zhay said sternly as she slithered out from under his arms "..it was only a sm- GODDAMNIT!" she cupped her hands over her face, gagging as the smell hit her sensitive nose, she moved quickly out of the room and slammed the door, heaving as she did so. _

"_You deal with it!" Spike heard as she muffled the sound of her throwing up._

_Spike looked at the Jockey, he had the most sadistic grin on his face, still lying on his back his screwed up features, his eyes staring back at Spike. He laughed hysterically briefly, then flipped onto his feet, scarpering onto his pile of junk._

_Spike smiled. He liked fart jokes but that stunk...stunk BAD._

"_I gots something nice..." the Jockey squeaked "Something goooooddd...." He was burying himself in his stash, and Spike worried what he would come out with. He had already found a dozen first aid kits which had helped him get bandaged up. Many many bottles of pain killers and several bottles of liquor and even some drugs._

"_Shiny...four..Tasty..shiny..tasty..four.." Spike curbed his interest as the Jockey's tone changed from what seemed like his usual happy, jovial self to a darker, almost malefic side. He disappeared into his now messy pile._

"_Is it gone?" Zhay spluttered as she stumbled back in the room, "That damn rat finished shi-"_

_She cut off as Spike turned to what had made her quiet._

_He stood, his head lowered but his eyes fixed on Spike and full of anger and spite, as a toothy evil grin spread across his face. _

"_Equalizer"_


End file.
